Cold-Weather Super Bowl Will Only Add Another Legendary Chapter to NFL Lore

Super Bowl XXXVII was played in sunny San Diego with a game-time temperature of a beautiful 81 degrees. Yet the Buccaneers and Raiders put a one-sided, nearly-unwatchable stink bomb on display, as Tampa Bay emerged 48-21.

Super Bowl XLI was held in Miami, a city known for its bright lights and gorgeous weather. The game, though, happened underneath a monsoon, with the Colts topping the Bears 29-17.

Point is, no one can escape the weather without the help of a dome, and the greatest weather on the planet never guarantees good football. Now that we know Super Bowl XLVIII will be hosted by New York/New Jersey in 2014, the pessimists will fear a great snowstorm or a rain-soaked event that could dampen everyone's annual party.

But those pessimists already think the world will end in 2012, so let's just ignore them.

Yeah, the weather could be the story in February 2014, and that topic is certain to dominate discussions for the next four years. But as New Englanders, we know the best, most entertaining games happen in the snow, rain and fog. It causes the crowd to come alive and rejoice together with a common bond. And, hey, maybe the threat of an Armageddon-like snowstorm will cause the corporate ticket holders to sell their seats to someone who, you know, actually wants them.

If you hate the idea of the Super Bowl heading to New York because it's a sponsor-ridden, money-hungry decision — and because NFL commissioner Roger Goodell wants to reward the area for building a new barn — well, I'm not arguing much against that. However, the Super Bowl has long been about stacking up piles of dough, and the league has only improved due to that booming popularity.

But more than anything, don’t worry about the weather. In fact, embrace it. "The Greatest Game Ever Played" happened in December 1958 at Yankee Stadium. There was also the "Snow Plow Game," the "Ice Bowl," the "Fog Bowl" and, whether you're from Oakland or Foxboro, the "Tuck Rule Game" or the "Snow Bowl."

Remember Super Bowl XLIII? Ben Roethlisberger hit Santonio Holmes with the game-winning touchdown pass in the final minute, and the Steelers beat the Cardinals 27-23 in one of the wildest games in recent memory. It also happened during a beautiful night under the Tampa sky, but no one has ever dared to call that the "Really Nice Night for a Football Game Bowl."

The concerns about an equal playing field are legitimate, but they very rarely hold any water. After all, the elements seemed to favor the Bears when it was raining cats and dogs in Super Bowl XLI, but Peyton Manning and the Colts still managed to prove they were the better team.

Plus, two of the most surprising upsets in Super Bowl history happened in climate-controlled stadiums. The Patriots shocked the Rams 20-17 in Super Bowl XXXVI at the New Orleans Superdome, and the Giants knocked off the Pats 17-14 in Super Bowl XLII under the roof at University of Phoenix Stadium in Arizona. Obviously, the notion that the most talented team will ultimately win in perfect conditions is far from the truth.

No one seems to complain about the World Series happening in late October or early November, when it's cold just about everywhere. Now, people are suddenly worked up about the New York weather in February 2014?

Come on, this is football.